Abel's Thoughts on Change
by The Two Sides of the Moon
Summary: After getting lost and bumping into an old friend, the Netherlands tries to decide if change is a good thing or not. (One-Shot)


**Author's Note: Annnnd here's another story! This is a gift for Koneko L. Taigo- I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer (Dark Side of the Moon): I do not own Hetalia, and I never will.**

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Abel looked up at the bright, glowing signs around him for help. Too bad he couldn't read any of them.

He was fairly certain that the hotel was nearby… so he couldn't help but wonder how _this_ happened.

"_The Conference Center was… that way, so my hotel should be right here," _he thought, winding his scarf around his neck against the chilly spring breeze. He gazed down at his phone. _"I suppose I could call somebody… But who? Belgium's having 'Girl Time' or whatever with Hungary, and Spain is annoying- plus, if he knew I'd gotten lost _here _of all places, he'd never let it go…"_

He was lost in Japan. Somewhere in Tokyo, to be exact.

The reason? Simple: he was too cheap to pay a taxi.

Well, it wasn't as though he was trudging miles through four feet of snow- it _was_ spring, after all. He just… he just thought that the hotel was close enough to the conference center to walk back and forth- without getting lost. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Abel let out a sigh that he was holding. _"I would call Japan, but I don't have his number…"_ he looked down at his watch. _"4:26… I've been out here for an hour and a half…"_

He certainly wasn't expecting that. Although he was lost, he almost never lost track of the time- _especially_ on meeting days. _"Hmm… I bet I could ask someone-"_

"Oomph!"

"I-I am so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was g-!" the girl in front of him lifted her hair and –_"Is that an eye patch?"_- away from her eyes, revealing one blue eye and one brown eye staring down at him in disbelief. "_Netherlands-san_?!"

"Kiku…? How many times have I asked you to call me Abel?" the Dutchman looked up from his newly-acquired spot on the ground. "Kiku, what are you wearing?"

The Japanese man instantly turned bright red, trying to find a place to hide. "I-I-I…"

Abel sighed, getting up from the ground. "Don't worry- it looks fine."

"Really?" Japan asked, frozen in place. "So you don't mind?"

"I don't really care. If that's what you want to do, I can respect that." The outfit suited the other well, he thought, but he wouldn't actually tell him that. "But… what exactly are you doing?"

"Cosplaying… There's a convention over there, see?" Japan pointed over his shoulder. "I just finished looking around for today and was headed home… Would you like to come over for some tea?"

"I see," Abel, who was looking at the building where Kiku pointed, turned back to Japan. "Sure, I'd love to come over."

Kiku gave a small smile and turned around. "Follow me, Abel-san."

"Hn," he grunted softly. "Who are you cosplaying as?"

"A-Ah, I'm Ciel from Black Butler when he pretends to be a girl…"

"Okay…" that whole sentence made no sense to Abel. _"So… he's cosplaying as a guy who's pretending to be a girl? Why didn't he just cosplay as the guy?"_

"So… did you buy the costume or something?" he asked, still trying to wrap his mind around the concept.

"Oh no, I made this," Kiku explained. "It took a long time to find all the right fabrics, though, but I think it was worth it."

"Hmm…" Abel let out a thoughtful hum as he took a closer look at the outfit. The whole thing screamed elegance- that much was obvious- but the fact that it was homemade… _That_ was incredible. Although he had never personally seen the show, Abel knew that it must have been a perfect replica. He briefly wondered if Kiku had any _other_ dresses…

"Abel-san, are you feeling alright?" Kiku inquired, his dress swirling with him as he turned around.

Abel snapped out of his musing immediately. "Uh, maybe a little chilled, but otherwise I'm alright. Why do you ask?"

"You're a little flushed…" Japan admitted. "Hmm, isn't that the same suit you were wearing at the meeting? Have you been out here this whole time?"

"Eh… Yeah. I got lost trying to find my hotel," he answered. "I lost track of time."

"Ah… I see… Which hotel are you staying at?" Kiku asked. "I could bring you there once we're done with tea… or would you rather go there now?"

"Hm… Tea sounds pretty good right now," Abel told Kiku truthfully. "Besides, I don't have anything to do at the hotel…"

The rest of the walk was silent, allowing the Netherlands to think about the person in front of him…

"… _It's been a long time, huh?"_

And it really had. He hadn't really talked much to Japan outside of meeting since a little after America came into Kiku's life, but that was because Kiku was so busy with all of the changes…

"_A lot has changed… I'm not sure if that's a good thing…"_

He remembered when Japan was a shut in, locking himself up into his room and closing all of the windows. Even while he was there, the other would insist on being left alone in the dark. Now that he thought about it, maybe the only reason that Japan had truly opened up to the world was because of America.

"_Hn, that idiot was actually good for something…"_

"Ah, we're here," Kiku's voice snapped him out of his thoughts once more.

"Hn," he grunted softly, acknowledging that he heard. He looked around Kiku's small apartment in slight surprise.

"So, what happened to your home?"

"Oh," Kiku smiled softly. "I still have it; it's just not convenient since it's so far away from the meeting building."

"Hn…" Abel took a seat in the kitchen as Kiku, smiling softly, prepared the tea.

"_It's easier for him to smile…"_

That was definitely a good change, he deducted. He liked seeing Kiku's smile, almost as much as he liked spending time with the Asian.

"_Hm… Change, huh?"_

"It'll be a few moments before the tea is don- mm mph!" Kiku's sentence was interrupted as Abel's lips pressed against his.

The Netherlands slowly pulled out of the kiss. "I think we should go out sometime."

Kiku, who was still bright red, smiled. "I… I would like that…" he mumbled quietly.

"_I think I could grow to like change…"_ Abel thought with a small smirk on his face.


End file.
